Mount Dora will host its first TEDx event on May 22, 2027, bringing a full day of short, thought-provoking talks, local experiences and new ideas to the Mount Dora Community Building. Speaker applications and tickets are available now.

You’ve probably watched one online.

A scientist explains a discovery. An entrepreneur challenges the way we think about work. An artist shares an unexpected idea about creativity. A teacher, doctor, researcher or community leader steps onto a stage and, in less than 20 minutes, leaves you thinking about something differently than you did before.

That’s the TED Talk format. And next spring, it’s coming to Mount Dora.

On Saturday, May 22, 2027, the Mount Dora Community Building will host the inaugural TEDxMount Dora, a full-day event expected to bring together more than 100 people for a lineup of live talks, conversations and experiences throughout the city.

The theme for year one: “New Beginnings.”

And before we go any further, there’s an important distinction to make.

So, What Exactly Is TEDx?

TED began in 1984 as a conference bringing together Technology, Entertainment and Design — the three words behind the name TED. Today, its subject matter stretches far beyond those original categories, with talks exploring science, culture, business, education, creativity, human behavior and just about any other field where someone has an interesting idea to share. TED

TEDx takes that concept and brings it into individual communities.

The “x” means independently organized. Rather than being produced directly by TED, a TEDx event is created by a local team operating under a license from TED and following its established format and guidelines. More than 49,000 TEDx events have been held across 180 countries. TED

In plain English: this is Mount Dora’s own locally organized version of the TED experience.

And it isn’t a six-hour lecture.

TEDx events are built around a series of short, carefully prepared talks, demonstrations and performances covering a wide range of subjects. Traditional TEDx talks are typically 18 minutes or less, meaning the audience moves throughout the day from one person and one idea to something completely different. TED

You might hear from a scientist and then an artist. A business owner could be followed by an educator, doctor, writer or someone whose background doesn’t fit neatly into any of those boxes.

That variety is part of the point.

TED describes TEDx as a place for communities to uncover original ideas, spark conversations and hear from people whose perspectives might not otherwise have a stage. TED

Why Mount Dora?

TEDxMount Dora is being organized by local attorney Todd Mazenko, who comes to the project having already experienced TEDx from both sides of the stage.

Mazenko spoke at TEDxEustis in 2024 and later served as its license holder and organizer. After helping other speakers develop their ideas and prepare for the TEDx stage, he wanted to bring that experience home.

“I wanted to bring a world-class speaking event to Mount Dora,” Mazenko said. “I love public speaking, and I find it especially rewarding to help others prepare and deliver the talk of their lifetime.”

For Mazenko, the character of Mount Dora made it a natural place to build the next event.

“Mount Dora is a community that welcomes creativity, conversation, and fresh ideas. After speaking at TEDxEustis and organizing last year’s event, I wanted to bring that experience to the place I call home. TEDxMount Dora will give our speakers the chance to share ideas they care deeply about and give our audience something to think about long after the event ends.”

TED’s official event listing now includes Mount Dora among upcoming TEDx communities worldwide, with the Mount Dora Community Building serving as the home for the inaugural event. TED

What Would You Actually Do at TEDxMount Dora?

This is where TEDxMount Dora starts to become more than something you could simply watch on YouTube later.

The May event is planned as an all-day experience from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with approximately 12 to 13 speakers taking the stage throughout the day.

Instead of attending because you already know every speaker or subject, part of the appeal is not knowing exactly where the conversation will take you.

One talk might connect immediately to your work or something happening in your life. Another might introduce you to a subject you’ve never spent five minutes thinking about. And another might be the one you’re still talking about over dinner.

The event will also include Discovery Sessions, which Mazenko says will give attendees opportunities to experience Mount Dora in different and unexpected ways throughout the city.

More specifics about those sessions will be announced as the event gets closer, but they are being designed to take the TEDx experience beyond the auditorium and make Mount Dora itself part of the day.

That combination — live speakers, shared conversations, Discovery Sessions and time spent with other curious people from the community — is why organizers are building this as an in-person experience rather than simply a collection of talks.

Tickets are $75 and include the entire day of programming, a Discovery Session and lunch.

And Mount Dora’s First Speakers Could Come From Anywhere

Here’s another reason TEDxMount Dora is announcing the event this early:

The stage is currently empty.

Applications are now open for the 12 to 13 people who will become TEDxMount Dora’s first class of speakers, with the lineup expected to be finalized by the end of November.

And “TEDx speaker” may be a much broader category than you think.

TED says speakers at independently organized events can come from backgrounds ranging from scientists, writers and doctors to students, dancers, chefs, tradespeople and community leaders. The common denominator isn’t fame or a career on the speaking circuit. It’s having an original idea worth developing and sharing. TED

In fact, TEDx specifically distinguishes its events from motivational-speaking conferences and commercial presentations. The focus is supposed to be the idea, not selling a product, promoting a business or building a speaker’s brand. TED

So somewhere in Mount Dora — or well beyond it — there may be a researcher sitting on years of fascinating work. An entrepreneur who has learned something that changes how we understand an industry. An educator with a different approach to an old problem. An artist with a perspective no one else has considered. Or simply someone who has spent years studying, experiencing or questioning something and has an idea other people should hear.

That’s who organizers are looking for.

Speaker applications are open now at TEDxMountDora.com.

A Fitting First Theme

The inaugural theme, “New Beginnings,” starts with the obvious: this is the first TEDxMount Dora.

But it also leaves the door wide open for what happens onstage.

A new beginning can be scientific or personal. It can happen in a business, a neighborhood, a career or an entire field of research. It can come from changing how we approach an old problem or simply looking at something familiar from a completely different direction.

Exactly what that theme will mean in Mount Dora won’t really be known until those first 12 or 13 speakers are chosen.

And that may be one of the most interesting parts of watching this event come together.

Want to Be There for the First One?

TEDxMount Dora takes place Saturday, May 22, 2027, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mount Dora Community Building, 520 N. Baker Street. The event is open to the public. TED

Tickets are $75 and include the full-day event, a Discovery Session and lunch. Tickets and speaker applications are available now at TEDxMountDora.com.

Organizers are also looking for volunteers. Anyone interested can contact tedxmountdora@gmail.com.

Current event sponsors include Red Apples Media, the City of Mount Dora and the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce, with additional sponsorship opportunities expected as planning continues.

There will be plenty more to announce between now and May — including the people who will take Mount Dora’s first TEDx stage and the ideas they’ll bring with them.

For now, though, the stage is set.

Mount Dora, what idea would you put on it?